The world was deathly silent.
Only the terrifying sounds of crumbling buildings and the earth splitting apart echoed across the island—alongside the arrogant laughter of the Great Pirate in the sky.
From the direction of the auction house, the screams and cries of civilians began to rise, while flames spread throughout the city, sending thick black smoke into the sky.
"That lunatic!!" Bloodshot veins suddenly burst in Sengoku's eyes as he growled through clenched teeth.
The pirates on-site stood frozen in place, staring at the devastation spreading across the island, their expressions blank, as if they couldn't believe what they were seeing.
"This... this kind of power isn't something a human should possess..."
"One slash nearly tore the island in half."
"Terrifying..."
"This is Shiki, the Great Pirate... a man who stands at the very peak of this sea..."
In that moment, it was as if the pirates had lost their souls. They stood rooted in place, their eyes filled with fear and confusion.
Bullet's expression first showed shock, but his eyes quickly turned wild with excitement.
"What incredible power... So this is the opponent Captain Roger acknowledged? I have to... I have to fight him!!"
His fists clenched tightly.
King's face also turned deathly grim.
"Jiihahahaha, did you see that...?"
Shiki looked extremely pleased with the power of his attack. From above, he gazed down at the pale faces below and burst into wild, defiant laughter.
"Only I, Shiki, have the right to claim this Devil Fruit! If you don't want to die, then get the hell out of my sight—"
Before he could finish his sentence, a tall figure suddenly leapt up from the shattered remains of a box in midair.
Bullet's face twisted the moment he saw it, gritting his teeth.
"Daren! You bastard, he's my opponent!!"
The sudden movement immediately caught everyone's attention.
"Daren!?"
Sengoku's pupils shrank.
He looked up at the Marine Commodore soaring toward Shiki, and a thought too wild to believe surged in his mind.
Could it be... this brat actually intends to face death head-on!?
The pirates were equally stunned, staring at the Commodore in disbelief.
What is he trying to do?
Is he trying to get himself killed?
After witnessing the overwhelming power Shiki just displayed, who here—aside from Admiral Sengoku—could possibly take him on?
Everyone's eyes locked onto the scene, subconsciously holding their breath.
"Come on, Shiki... Kill me, and the Moa Moa no Mi is yours!!"
High in the air, Daren's lips curled into a fearless, unrestrained smirk.
The wind whipped against his cheeks and through his hair, his snow-white cape fluttering wildly behind him.
His eyes were locked on the airborne Great Pirate ahead, a gleam of madness—almost hysterical—shining in them.
"Hmm?"
Shiki raised an eyebrow.
This little Marine brat... is he asking to die?
He glanced at Daren charging straight toward him.
Their eyes locked across the air.
A moment later...
A cruel smile suddenly spread across Shiki's face.
"Jiihahahaha! Not bad, you've got fire in your eyes!!"
In the eyes of this Marine brat, he saw a twisted, crazed determination.
Shiki could smell it—he recognized the scent of his own kind!
"Interesting little Marine... don't blame me for being merciless!"
Shiki roared with laughter, and his aura exploded in an instant.
Raising his famed blade high above his head, his long golden hair whipped in the wind, and then...
He brought it crashing down!
"Zanpa!"
Shhh!!
The clouds split instantly, carving a massive trench through the sky as the cloud sea churned violently.
A destructive golden slash, like a crescent moon hurled by a god, plummeted from above, aimed straight at the Marine Commodore!
It's coming!!
In that instant, Daren felt an overwhelming sense of death consume his mind.
That golden slash—like it could cut through anything—made every pore on his body erupt in terror.
Clang...
He tried to summon his strength, but the Seastone shackles on his wrists clanked, their power suppressing every ounce of energy in his body.
Suspended in midair with no footing;
Weakened by the Seastone, his strength plummeted;
His Devil Fruit ability was like a stagnant pool, completely inert.
The full weight of death pressed down on Daren, like the dark clouds blanketing the sky, swallowing him whole.
"Daren!!!" Sengoku roared, eyes bloodshot.
Everyone's eyes widened in shock.
But Daren didn't flinch. The grin on his face only grew wilder.
Every cell and muscle in his body felt like it was burning, every bone screaming as if being torn apart. Adrenaline surged, and his pupils began to blur.
He let out an involuntary roar—but no one could hear it.
Time seemed to slow to a crawl.
The golden slash closed in, inch by inch.
Blinding light engulfed him.
Just as he was about to lose consciousness—
'Daren, remember… the essence of Observation Haki is staying calm, even under the pressure of death.'
Zephyr-sensei's voice rang out in his mind.
Absolute... calm.
His eyes snapped open.
"I'm not dying here!!"
In that instant—
It felt like something deep inside him had been pierced and detonated.
Power surged from that point, flooding through his entire body.
In that moment, all sound faded. Though he stood on the brink of death, his mind was sharp—crystal clear.
It was as if his soul and senses had left his body, watching everything unfold from above, like a god looking down on the battlefield.
His breathing steadied. Countless images rushed into his brain—Sengoku's tense face, the Marines' horrified expressions, Shiki's twisted grin, Bullet's fury...
What was this feeling?
Silence.
Yes, a silence so absolute, it stood just a breath away from madness.
That supreme stillness spread through Daren's mind.
He could hear everything.
After more than half a year of grueling training, that final wall—his Observation Haki—had finally awakened!
...
Then came the slash.
Clang!!
A sharp, splitting sound rang out—something incredibly hard had just been cut.
In that critical instant, to the astonishment of all watching, the Marine Commodore suddenly twisted his body to the side, dodging without a hint of hesitation.
The sword beam, powerful enough to cleave an island, brushed past him and shot toward the far end of the island, slicing clean through a small trading port and sending seawater erupting into the sky.
Daren's body crashed down like a cannonball, smashing into the ground and blasting out a massive crater.
Dust and smoke billowed.
A second later, the Marine Commodore stepped calmly out of the pit, his broad white cloak fluttering behind him.
The Seastone shackles on his wrists had been severed, clattering to the ground with a crisp ring.
Daren casually rolled his wrists, then looked up at the Great Pirate above.
A flicker of eerie red glowed deep in his eyes.
The corner of his lips curled into a bold, unrestrained smile.
"Now... the real fight begins."
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
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